The OTHER Big News

Yup!  We announced on St. Patrick's Day last week that we are expecting Baby GIRL Scurlock #2 in August 2015!  Baby girl is due August 26th, so we will be having our second summer baby.  AND my sister-in-law Kristin is due with her first, a boy, just two days before me.  So exciting!

We found out just days before Christmas that we were expecting baby #2 and let's just say we were a little shocked, but we are excited to have two little girls only a couple of years a part.  Since I have two sisters myself, I'm thrilled beyond words that Ryan is going to have a little sister.  We waited until we were home in Bakersfield, CA to find out what we were having and it was so fun to celebrate the news with our families.  Ryan has absolutely no idea what is coming this summer, but she loved the balloons none the less.

I'm just about 18 weeks now and feeling pretty good, though I'm growing much faster the second time around!  I had pretty bad morning all day sickness for the first 12 weeks so that was part of my reason for not blogging much in the early months of 2015.  I definitely welcomed the 2nd trimester with open arms!

We are so excited that our family of three is growing to a family of four.  I'm sure things are gonna get a little nutty, but what else is new?!?!  God has certainly heaped many blessings on this family lately.

The Match, The SOAP, and the Reality of being an IMG (Part 2 update)

So, here we are, Match Day 2015.  Can it really be that it has already been a year since Match Day 2014, the day that inspired this ORIGINIAL post?  That post has become far and away my most read post on this blog to date.  I find it both humbling and heartbreaking that so many have found their way to my blog and either felt sorry for our story or inspired by it.

The post has been linked on other medical blogs and has been referenced in multiple forums on Student Doctor Net throughout the last year.  And because I can trace where my page views are coming from, I have seen the comments on those forums and blogs and I have to say, I have had moments where I felt very discouraged.  I realize that those that comment have neither been in our exact position, nor do they know Josh personally, and they are attempting to give a full (albeit harsh) picture of what not matching or perhaps WORSE in their eyes, matching into a prelim position means.  I've read things like "prelim positions are dead end positions," "he will never get a categorical position," "he will be worked to death and will not be respected as a prelim," and one of my personal favorites, after not getting into an American Medical School, "he should do something else and get on with life."

I have one thing to tell all the naysayers and the same thing to tell all those discouraged and disheartened about their Match success or lack their of, especially the IMG's.

Josh Matched Categorical General Surgery at the University of Massachusetts.

It pains me to say that THERE IS NO MAGICAL FORMULA to matching into categorical general surgery as a preliminary resident. Nor is there any perfect outline for finding a spot during SOAP or after.  There have been so many readers who have commented on my blog post and asked me to email you personally to answer your questions.  There have been readers who have tracked me down on Facebook or through my Etsy shop to ask questions about what we did and I understand, I really do.  You are grasping at straws here.  I understand the heartbreak you are going through after not Matching and I know the stress you have felt after not SOAPing.

What I am going to write here is what WE did and what worked for US but I know that our story is a combination of hardwork, determination, prayer, and luck.  Honestly, we needed all four of those components for this to work.  While I think that Josh is the perfect package for a surgical residency program, there was definitely an X-factor at work here.

This past year:

Joshua knew from day one as a preliminary resident that he would have to hit the ground running in his program.  First impressions are important but so are long term impressions.  He knew he couldn't start out strong in July and then begin to teeter off in the coming months.  It is a marathon not a sprint.  What you have to understand about Josh is that he is a very outgoing, competent, and  confident man as well as a natural leader.  It's possible that he thrives more under pressure than anywhere else so when he knows he has to go all-in, he does.   What you have to understand about the surgery program at UMass is that they don't treat their prelims differently than their categorical residents.  Joshua was in surgery regularly alongside attendings and the Program Director.  I'm certain that there are preliminary programs out there where this would not be the case, but Josh got lucky because he was at a program that would give him the chance to get noticed.

He got 4 entirely new letters of recommendation, three from surgical attendings he worked with during the first two months at UMass and one from the Program Director.  We believe this was key in him getting 5 interviews this year.  His test scores (Step 1: 232, Step 2: 235) and grades (graduating GPA: 3.7ish, Basic science GPA: 3.4ish) hadn't changed, if anything, he was at a disadvantage having been out of school for a year.  But we feel his new LOR's were EXTREMELY strong and so they were able to boost his application.

He was also asked to be on a committee for resident education at UMass as one of two PGY1 representatives.  We were surprised that even though he was a preliminary resident, he was given this task.  During the fall, he competed on a 3 person team comprised of one 5th year, one mid-level, and one intern in a "surgical olympics" type competition between other surgical residency programs on the East Coast.  UMass's team came in 2nd place and I feel Josh shined during that competition.  He showed confidence in himself and his surgical skills as well as pride in his program.  All of these things may not have determined his ability to obtain a categorical position, but I feel that getting your name and face out there within your program, especially if you are a prelim is of the utmost importance!  In other words, getting involved in these type of opportunities never hurts.

As it turns out, Josh Matched at his first choice program where he is currently a prelim, the University of Massachusetts.  We loved this program from the start and are so thrilled that not only did we choose them, but that they chose us.  I don't know if Josh would have matched at one of the other 4 programs he interviewed at if UMass didn't pan out, but I do know that he felt confident in all of his interviews and I would like to think that someone else wouldn't have passed him up either.  I guess we will never know and at this point, it no longer matters.

Many many things came together in order for this story to end in the successful manner that it has.  Maybe we just got totally lucky.  And if that's the case, we are thanking our lucky stars.  We have five years of a surgical residency ahead of us and you'd better believe we won't be taking any one day for granted.

Match Day 2015!

**If I haven't answered some of your questions, know that I plan to do a FAQ post as well in the next few days.  I wish I could respond to everyone that has been asking me to email them, but I'm only one person and I'm also a Mom and a wife.  I write this blog as mostly an online journal for family and friends and while I'm thrilled to be "helping" others in similar positions, I also don't know much more than what I've already written or read about online.  

Match Day 2015

I will do a big update on Josh and our second go around with The Match next week, but I just want to say with a HUGE amount of pride in my husband and in our success story that.....

WE MATCHED GENERAL SURGERY!

Oh Hey! Yes, the Scurlock's are still alive!

Wow, March 1st huh?  You wouldn't know it here in Massachusetts.  It seems we are stuck in the land of perpetual winter here as evidenced by the snow that I see falling outside my window tonight.

I wish I had a good excuse as to why I've been so absent on the blog these past two months.  I could say it has had something to do with a ridiculous bout of sickness that passed through Josh, Ryan, and I and then around the time that passed Ryan got sick again... and again.   I can't say that I've been overly busy as the absolutely insane amount of snow that Worcester has gotten has kept us house bound more days than I care to count.  But maybe it's kind of like when you sleep in an extra long amount of time and then you are more tired for the rest of the day than if you had just gotten up at a normal hour.  We have been so bored and "un" busy that I can't seem to find the motivation to do anything, even get out of my pajamas!  Okay... that's typical anyway.  Yoga pants for the win.

So what's been going on?

Well, Josh is getting ready to start his trauma rotation tomorrow.  He only has 4 months left of this year of residency.  Crazy.  He was gone off and on a lot in January for residency interviews and we are anxiously awaiting Match Day 2015.  I hope to update you all with happy news on March 20th.  For now, prayers are welcome!

Ryan will be 20 months old in a couple of days.  Say what?!?! This kid continues to crack us up daily.  Some of her new favorite words to use are "No" and "Stop,"  which are not necessarily MY favorite words that she says.  Ha!  She has recently become obsessed with Winnie the Pooh on Netflix and will regularly carry my computer around going "pooh, pooh, pooh."  It's pretty adorable.

We are completely pacifier free as of a few days ago, which went surprisingly better than I would have guessed and the fact that it's gone makes me feel like she's such a big kid all of the sudden.  Though, we still have bottles to get rid of eventually.  One thing at a time.  We also have been doing swimming lessons on Saturday mornings and she and I have a pretty good time swimming around and practicing our kicker feet.

We all survived our first blizzard, Juno, at the end of January.  Juno dumped a record 34.5 inches of snow on Worcester in a matter of two days.  There was a travel ban placed on the state and Josh was stuck at the hospital for about 48 hours.  However, despite the mass hysteria that it caused, other than the cable/internet going out, it was rather uneventful.  Not that I'm complaining.

We are heading to California next week for my brother's wedding and are SO anxious to enjoy some sunshine and mild temperatures.  I may never come back to MA.  Kidding.

I'll try to be more regular with my posting again.  And attempt to keep you updated on the changes that are sure to occur in the next few months.

Christmas 2014

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about how Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were going to go.  After all, it was the first time in my twenty-nine years where I was not at home in Bakersfield for all the Christmas festivities.  You see, ever since I was two, my parents have lived in the same house.  I was fortunate enough to grow up never having to move and all through college and my years in England and Grenada, we somehow found a way to come home for the holidays, that is, until this year.  I knew right when we signed the contract for residency here in Massachusetts that it would be unlikely that Josh and I would be home for Christmas.  Shockingly, he was actually off of work for Christmas day (the benefit of having some fellow residents who do not celebrate Christmas) but since that was his only day off, Ryan and I would not be leaving him for California.

And ya know what?

It was still okay.  Christmas was still a success.

I think part of growing up and having a family of your own IS starting new traditions and celebrating special occasions in a way that might have been different than before.  I mean, could I really plan to celebrate Christmas morning waking up at my parents house until I am 80?  Probably not.  Josh and I are so fortunate to have some amazing neighbors who invited us to their apartment across the hall for a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner.  Christian, Beata and their entire family were more than welcoming to us and we had a great evening enjoying all of the new and wonderful food.  I even baked a birthday cake for Jesus as is one of my family's Christmas Eve traditions.  We blended a little old with a little new.

Plus, because they live directly across the hall, I could put Ryan down at her (almost) normal bedtime, bring the monitor over and enjoy an adults only rest of the evening.  It was perfect.  Josh and I didn't stay too late because we I had to be Santa's Elf and put together an entire play kitchen and shopping cart.  And let me tell ya, those things take a long time.  We didn't get to bed until well past midnight.

But Christmas morning was perfect.  Ryan loves her kitchen and shopping cart and had so much fun opening all her presents.  I know she doesn't understand "Christmas" yet, but she definitely loved (and was a tad bit overwhelmed) by all her new toys.  I imagine by next year, Christmas morning will have a lot more magic for her.

I cooked a Christmas morning breakfast of Cinnamon rolls, Pillsbury style and we spent the rest of the day in our Christmas jammies, playing with Ryan's toys, napping, and enjoying each other's company.  It was a great Christmas and I look forward to many more with my little family.

Bad Santa

Ryan had the absolute pleasure of meeting "mall Santa" yesterday.  It was an impromptu visit with Santa.  We had planned to go this weekend with Josh, but I was at the mall with some girlfriends yesterday and one of them was taking her daughter to see Santa, Ryan was dressed in somewhat Christmasy attire, we were waiting in line with them anyway, and Josh said go for it.  Soooo we did.

The result:

I felt pretty bad for poor Santa.  The second I put her on his lap, she completely lost it.  I let it go on for oh....7 seconds or so before I questioned whether she was going to do her holding breath/passing out routine (which hasn't happened again since early October) and decided that Ryan passing out on Santa was definitely NOT the memory I wanted to create for the day.  No need to make headlines on the 5 o'clock news, "Child Sees Santa and Passes Out From Fear," so I quickly saved her.   I'm convinced seeing Santa Claus is a form of toddler torture because I assure you she was not the only one screaming in the 15 or so minutes we were there.  Mean Mommies of the world unite!

I once said in a post that I'd never want to be a pediatric dentist, well you can add being Santa to that list as well.  I mean besides the obvious having to be a man, be fat, and have facial hair part, he has to deal with screaming, snotty nose kids all day.  Poor old man.  He really was a sweet Santa but Ryan couldn't get past the big white beard and red coat I guess.  Maybe next year?  When she's 2 and a half?  Hmmm maybe not.

Christmas Prep

The countdown is on, one week left until Christmas Eve.  The month of December is flying, like Dasher, Dancer, Prancer style fast and so we've been trying to enjoy every minute so as not to loose one moment of Christmasy goodness.

Last night was Josh's work holiday party and I loved having a reason to dress up and enjoy a much needed night out sans toddler.  Not to mention, the food and sangria were great.  Especially the sangria. :)

Grammy sent Ryan the Little People Nativity set a couple of weeks ago and she just loves playing with it.  It is super cute with lots of animals and a manger that sings "Away In A Manger" which Ryan then lifts over her head and dances with on an almost hourly basis.  I've had a lot of fun telling her the Christmas Story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and the three Wise Men and Angel.  I know she doesn't really get it at this point, but I like to think I'm planting a seed, even at 17 months old.  I plan to put it away at the end of the holidays and bring it out again next year so that it's exciting and new again.

Ryan has been surprisingly great with the tree so far.  I was a tad nervous about her pulling down ornaments or, God forbid, somehow pulling down the whole tree, but she has been pretty content just looking at the lights and pointing at the ornaments.  I especially love the early mornings, in her pjs, when she seems most in awe of her tree.

She's also loving the advent calendar that my Mom sent us.  We had one very similar in my house growing up (still do) and as children, we used to fight over who got to put the stuffed toy in the pocket every day.  My Mom quickly put us four kids on a rotating schedule.  In fact, once we were all  in college, Mom sent out a list of all the choices via email and we would email in our pick for the day every 4th day.  Talk about not being able to let go of traditions....do they have professional help for that?

For now, Ryan doesn't have to fight with any other siblings.  But, I will say this, she chooses the teddy bear or the snowman (or both) EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  Apparently she doesn't take after me because my favorite was always the candy cane.

My Christmas cards went out in a VERY timely manner by Scurlock standards and I've been receiving some in the mail daily.  It may or may not be the highlight of my day most days.

The snow from Thanksgiving is all but gone and though I'm pretty much 100% okay with that, I might be not so secretly holding out hope for a "White Christmas."  Snow or not, Ryan and I have been watching Christmas movies almost every day.  Her favorite is "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," where as I have a list so long of favorites that it takes the whole month of December to watch them all, but "Home Alone," "Christmas Vacation," and "White Christmas" are at the top.

We're planning to take Ryan to see Santa Claus this weekend since Josh is actually off work all weekend.  We'll see how well that goes, but I am looking forward to the pictures whether she is smiling or screaming. :)